Owner`s manual

ManualsBrandsRadio Shack ManualsBusiness equipment200CH

Cat. No. 20-422

OWNER’S MANUAL

Please read before using this equipment.

200CH VHF/Air/UHF Home Scanner

with Scanner Control Protocol and WX Alert

20-422.fm Page 1 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM

Summary of content (32 pages)

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20-422.fm Page 1 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM Cat. No. 20-422 OWNER’S MANUAL Please read before using this equipment.
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0-422.fm Page 2 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM FEATURES Your RadioShack 200Ch VHF/Air/UHF Home Scanner lets you in on all the action! This scanner gives you direct access to over 23,000 frequencies, including those used by police and fire departments, ambulance and transportation services, government agencies, and amateur radio services. You can select up to 200 channels to scan and you can change selections at any time.
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20-422.fm Page 3 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM Key Confirmation Tones — the scanner sounds a tone when you perform an operation correctly and sounds an error tone if you make an error. Memory Backup — keeps channel frequencies stored in memory for an extended time even if your scanner loses power. External Speaker Jack — lets you connect an external speaker, or an earphone or headphones for private listening.
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20-422.fm Page 4 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM FCC NOTICE Your scanner might cause TV or radio interference even when it is operating properly. To determine whether your scanner is causing the interference, turn off your scanner. If the interference goes away, your scanner is causing it.
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20-422.fm Page 5 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM CONTENTS Preparation .............................................................................................................. Removing the Display Protector ......................................................................... Connecting an Antenna ...................................................................................... Connecting Power ..............................................................................................
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20-422.fm Page 6 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM PREPARATION This scanner is designed for use in the home as a base station. You can place it on any flat surface such as a desk, shelf, or table. REMOVING THE DISPLAY PROTECTOR ception of the transmissions you want to hear, adjust the antenna’s length. Frequency (MHz) Antenna Length 29–54 108–174 406–512 Extend fully Collapse one segment Collapse both segments Your scanner’s display is protected during shipment by a piece of film.
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20-422.fm Page 7 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM adapter. Your local RadioShack store carries a wide variety of coaxial antenna cable and connectors. Once you choose an antenna, follow the mounting instructions supplied with the antenna. Then route the antenna’s cable to the scanner and connect the cable to the ANT jack on the back of the scanner. Cautions: You must use a Class 2 power source that supplies 10V AC and delivers 300 mA. Its plug must fit the scanner’s AC 10V jack.
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20-422.fm Page 8 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM CONNECTING AN EXTERNAL SPEAKER Insert the earphone’s or headphones’ plug into the EXT. SP. jack on the back of the scanner. You can connect an optional external speaker with a 1/8-inch (3.5-mm) plug to the scanner. Use an 8-ohm external speaker that can handle at least 2.5 watts of power. Your local RadioShack store sells scanner accessories, including external speakers. Insert the speaker’s plug into the EXT. SP. jack on the back of the scanner.
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20-422.fm Page 9 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM UNDERSTANDING YOUR SCANNER A LOOK AT THE FRONT PANEL VOLUME Turns the scanner on or off and adjusts the volume. SQUELCH Adjusts the scanner’s squelch. / Sets the search direction. BAND Searches a band you select. DELAY Programs a 2-second delay for the selected channel; sets a delay for all active frequencies during a search. ALERT/PRIORITY Sets the scanner to the weather alert mode; turns priority on or off for a particular channel.
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20-422.fm Page 10 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM 1–9, 0 Each key has a single-digit label, and the 1–9 and 0 keys also have a range of numbers. Use the digits on the keys to enter the numbers for a channel or a frequency. Use the range of numbers above the key (61–80, for example) to select or deselect the channels in a channel-storage bank. CLEAR/. Clears an incorrect entry, or enters the decimal point when you enter a frequency.
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20-422.fm Page 11 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM PRI Appears when the priority feature is turned on. L/O (lockout) Appears when you lock out channels or skip a frequency, or when you manually select a channel or frequency that is locked out or skipped. DLY Appears when the scanner is scanning or searching when you have programmed a 2-second delay. WX (weather) Appears when the scanner is tuned to the weather band.
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20-422.fm Page 12 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM UNDERSTANDING BANKS AND BANDS You can store frequencies into either a programmable memory location called a channel, or a temporary memory location called a monitor memory. You can store a frequency in each of the scanner’s channels (up to 200) and up to 10 monitor memories. Your scanner also has eight frequency bands, each covering a specific range of frequencies you can search.
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20-422.fm Page 13 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM This table shows the frequency band ranges displayed by the scanner and the typical usage, frequency coverage, and step for each. Displayed Frequency Band Range Typical Usage 29-54 10-Meter Amateur Radio, VHF Lo, 6-Meter Amateur Radio Frequency Coverage (MHz) Step (kHz) 29.000 to 54.000 5.0 108-137 Aircraft 108.000 to 136.975 12.5 137-144 Government 137.000 to 144.000 5.0 144-148 2-Meter Amateur Radio 144.000 to 148.000 5.
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20-422.fm Page 14 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM OPERATION TURNING ON THE SCANNER/SETTING VOLUME AND SQUELCH 1. Turn VOLUME and SQUELCH fully counterclockwise. 2. Turn VOLUME clockwise until you hear a hissing sound. 3. Turn SQUELCH clockwise, then leave it set to a point just after the hissing sound stops. Notes: • If the scanner picks up unwanted, partial, or very weak transmissions, SQUELCH turn clockwise to decrease the scanner’s sensitivity to these signals.
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20-422.fm Page 15 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM Follow these steps to manually store a frequency into a channel. 1. If the scanner is scanning, press MANUAL. 2. Using the number keys, enter the channel number where you want to store a frequency. 3. Press PROGRAM. BANK and the bank number, the selected channel number and L/O (if the selected channel number is empty), and 000.000 (or the previously programmed frequency) appear. 4.
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20-422.fm Page 16 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM 2. To manually search the band, press HOLD after the scanner starts automatically searching the frequencies. The scanner displays H (hold), ▲ or ▼, and a frequency within the band you selected. 3. Repeatedly press ▲ to step from the lower to the upper range, or ▼ to step from the upper to the lower range. Hold down ▲ or ▼ for about 1 second or press HOLD to return to automatic search. 4.
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20-422.fm Page 17 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM You can also select a monitor memory by repeatedly pressing MONITOR until the desired monitor memory appears. Note: To listen to the monitor memories, the priority channel feature must be turned off (see “Priority” on Page 20). MOVING A FREQUENCY FROM A MONITOR MEMORY TO A CHANNEL 1. If the scanner is scanning, press MANUAL. 2. Use the number keys to enter the channel number where you want to store the monitor frequency, then press PROGRAM. PGM appears.
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20-422.fm Page 18 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM Notes: • You can manually select any channel in a bank, even if the bank is turned off. • You cannot turn off all ten banks. • The scanner skips channels that have been locked out (see “Skipping Frequencies/Channels” on Page 19. MANUALLY SELECTING A CHANNEL You can continuously monitor a specific channel without scanning.
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20-422.fm Page 19 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM SPECIAL FEATURES DELAY Many agencies use a two-way radio system that might have a pause of several seconds between a query and a reply. To avoid missing a reply, you can program a 2-second delay into any of your scanner’s channels or frequencies. Then, when the scanner stops on the channel, DLY appears and the scanner continues to monitor the channel for 2 seconds after the transmission stops before it resumes scanning or searching.
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-422.fm Page 20 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM Note: If you turned the key tone off (see “Turning the Key Tone On or Off” on Page 21), the scanner does not beep when you hold down S/S-LOCKOUT. scans, it checks the priority channels in each selected bank for activity every 2 seconds. Notes: Removing Lockout from Channels Follow these steps to remove the lockout from a channel while scanning. 1. Press MANUAL to stop scanning. 2.
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20-422.fm Page 21 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM To turn off the priority feature, press PRIPRI disappears. 2. Press ALERT. ALT appears and the broadcast turns off. Note: If you are scanning more than one bank in which a priority channel has been programmed, the scanner stops on the lowest-numbered priority channel first while scanning. When a severe weather emergency signal is broadcast, the scanner sounds a loud alarm (regardless of the volume control setting), and H appears and ALT flashes.
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20-422.fm Page 22 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM A GENERAL GUIDE TO SCANNING Your scanner’s reception is mainly “line-of-sight.” You usually cannot hear stations that are beyond the horizon. GUIDE TO FREQUENCIES Ham Radio Frequencies Ham radio operators often broadcast emergency information when other means of communication break down. The following chart shows the voice frequencies that you can monitor: Wavelength (Meters) 10-Meter 6-Meter 2-Meter 70-Centimeter Voice (MHz) 29.000–29.700 MHz 50.000–54.
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20-422.fm Page 23 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM GUIDE TO THE ACTION BANDS Typical Band Usage VHF Band (29.00-300.00 MHz) Low Range 6-Meter Amateur U.S. Government 2-Meter Amateur High Range 29.00–50.00 MHz 50.00–54.00 MHz 137.00–144.00 MHz 144.00–148.00 MHz 148.00–174.00 MHz UHF Band (300 MHz-3.0 GHz) U.S. Government 70-cm Amateur Low Range FM-TV Audio Broadcast, Wide Band 406.00–420.00 MHz 420.00–450.00 MHz 450.00–470.00 MHz 470.00–512.
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20-422.fm Page 24 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM BAND ALLOCATION Use the following listing of the typical services within your scanner’s frequency coverage to assist you to decide which frequency ranges to scan. These frequencies are subject to change, and might vary from area to area. For a more complete listing, refer to the “Police Call Radio Guide including Fire and Emergency Services,” available at your local RadioShack store. Abbreviations Services BIFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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20-422.fm Page 25 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM TSB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Trunked Systems TVn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . FM-TV Audio Broadcast USXX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Government Classified UTIL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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20-422.fm Page 26 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM 152.030–152.240 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TELB 152.270–152.480 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, TAXI, BUS 152.510–152.840 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . TELB 152.870–153.020 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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20-422.fm Page 27 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM 70-cm Amateur Band (420–450 MHz) 420.000–450.000 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HAM Low Band (450–470 MHz) 450.050–450.925 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RTV 451.025–452.025 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IND, OIL, TELM, UTIL 452.0375–453.00 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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20-422.fm Page 28 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM TROUBLESHOOTING If your scanner is not working as it should, these suggestions might help you eliminate the problem. If the scanner still does not operate properly, take it to your local RadioShack store for assistance. SYMPTOM Scanner is on, but will not scan. SUGGESTION Be sure SQUELCH is adjusted properly. See “Turning On the Scanner/Setting Volume and Squelch” on Page 14.
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20-422.fm Page 29 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM CARE AND MAINTENANCE Your RadioShack 200Ch VHF/Air/UHF Home Scanner is an example of superior design and craftsmanship. The following suggestions will help you care for your scanner so you can enjoy it for years. Keep the scanner dry. If it gets wet, wipe it dry immediately. Liquids might contain minerals that can corrode the electronic circuits. Use and store the scanner only in normal temperature environments.
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20-422.fm Page 30 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Coverage: VHF Lo ......................................................................... 29.7–50 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) Amateur Radio ............................................................. 29–29.7 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 50–54 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 144–148 MHz (in 5 kHz steps) 420–450 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps) Aircraft ............................................................. 108–136.975 MHz (in 12.5 kHz steps) Government ....
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20-422.fm Page 31 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM Antenna Impedance ...................................................................................... 50 Ohms Audio Power .................................................................................. 840 mW Maximum Built-In Speaker ......................................... 21/4 Inch (57 mm), 8-Ohm, Dynamic Type AC Adapter ............................................................................................... 10 Volts AC Dimensions (HWD) ...
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20-422.fm Page 32 Friday, January 7, 2000 12:54 PM Limited One-Year Warranty This product is warranted by RadioShack against manufacturing defects in material and workmanship under normal use for one (1) year from the date of purchase from RadioShack company-owned stores and authorized RadioShack franchisees and dealers.